Protector for skate blades



p 5, 1949. E, H, PLANERT 2,465,475

PROTECTOR FOR SKATE BLADES Filed March 25, 1946 anew? Patented Apr. 5, 1949 PROTECTOR FOR SKATE BLADES Edward H. Planert, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Planert Skate Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application March 23, 1946, Serial No. 656,738

y 6 Claims. l

This invention relates to a protector for ice skate blades.

Frequently, especially on crowded rinks, skaters are injured by coming in contact with the sharp rear end of the skate blade.

One object of my invention is to provide a protector for the rear end of the skate blade, so as to prevent such injury.

Another object of my invention is to provide a protector, which may be attached to the rear and upper portion of the skate blade and remain on the skate while the skate is in use, without interfering with the normal use of the skate.

Another object of my invention is to provide a protector which may be easily attached to and removed from skates already manufactured or in use without making any alterations or changes in the skates themselves.`

Another object of my invention is to provide a protector which is resilient enough so as to be easily attached by hand to the skate blade and yet stiff enough so as not to come off while the skate is in use.

Another object of my invention is to provide a simple, effective protector which will not detract from the appearance of the skate or render it cumbersome in any Way.

A further object of my invention is to provide a protector of flexible rubber or other suitable yielding material to prevent injury to anyone coming in contact with it.

Other and further objects of my invention will appear from the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 shows a protector of my invention applied to the rear and upper portion of an ice skate blade.

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view of the attachable form of protector, as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional View through the protector shown in Figure 1, taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a bottom view of the metal sleeve.

Figure 5 shows the metal sleeve applied to the ice skate blade with the rubber sleeve in section.

The ice skate, shown in Figure 1, is of the tubular type, having a vertically disposed flat steel runner blade I, supporting tube 2 therefor extending along the length of the blade, front and rear cups 3, ll, secured to and extending upward from the tube to support sole and heel plates 5, 6 to which the shoe 'I for use with the skate is riveted or otherwise rigidly attached. The protector for the runner blade is indicated generally at 8 and is in the form of a sleeve closed at one end, which encircles the rear end portion of the tube 2 when applied to the skate. It is provided with a slot or kerf 9 extending lengthwise thereof to receive the runner blade I when the protector is applied to the skate. The protector is provided with a knob-like enlargement I0 near its end to provide suitable gripping means when attaching and removing it.

The outer portion of the protector 8 is made of flexible rubber or other suitable flexible material II, which can be molded to the size and shape required. The flexible rubber II' is reinforced and stiffened by the inner sleeve indicated generally at I2 which may be made of resilient metal or any other suitable material having suiiicient resiliency so that the protector 8 can be applied by hand lto the skate, as shown in Figures 1 and 5, and yet stiff enough so that it will not come off while the skate is in use. The metal sleeve I2 may be attached to the flexible rubber II and made an integral part thereof, by vulcanizing the rubber or by any other well-known method of attaching metal and rubber. The resilient metal sleeve I2 in combination with the flexible rubber I I attaches the protector 8 so tightly to the skate that it does not come olf when the skate is in use and yet the protector can be easily attached and removed from the skate by hand.

The slot or kerf 91 in the metal sleeve I 2 is slightly wider than the correspondingv slot of kerf 9 in the flexible rubber II. This permits the portion of the flexible rubber I I, which is not stiffened by the metal sleeve I2, to flex easily while the protector is being applied and firmly grip the blade after the protector is attached. This feature also helps to make the protector easy to apply and remove by hand and yet adhere tightly to the skate when attached thereto.

The metal sleeve I2 also has the slot or kerf I3 into which the raised portion I 4 of the skate tube nts. This acts as a locking device and also permits the sleeve I2 to flt snugly around the tube of the skate.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, by way of example, it will be obvious that changes may be made therein within the spirit and scope of the invention and, therefore, the invention isnot to be limited to the precise form herein described, except in so far as it may be limited by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A protector for the rear end of a skate blade 3. The combination of claim 1 wherein the` sleeve is reenforced by a metallic insertcomprising a slotted tubular member having'arr opening for registering with a projection on the end,

of the blade for preventing endwisedisloeation of. the protector.

4. An attachable protector for. the rear portion of the blade of a tubular ice skate for use While skating, comprising a flexible sleeve, saidisleeve:

being adapted to slip over the rear portion of the skate tube. and. having; a longitudinal slot. to receive. theskate blade while leaving the fsarne free for` contact with l the ice.

5; Anat-tachableprotector for the rear portion of! the-.blade-ofA a: tubular-ice skate, comprising. a

4 exible sleeve reenforced with a resilient sleeve and closed at one end, adapted to slip over and be positioned on the rear portion of the skate tube when skating and having a longitudinal slot to receive the skate blade.

6. An attachable protector for the rear portion of the-blade ofza tubulan'ioe skate; comprising a exible'fsleeve'stitfenedwitha resilient sleeve and closed at one end, adapted to slip over the rear portion of the skate tube and having a longitudinalslot to receive the skate blade, said resilient sleeve also having a slot to receive the raised portionaatthetopxandrear of the skate tube.

EDWARD H. PLANERT.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name: Date Number Johnson. i.....i `l sept. 5, 1933 

